Improvement in furnaces for heating metal plates, calcining ores, and for other purposes



section, through the line z z, Fig. 2.

' horizontal section through the line x w, Fig. l.;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the line y z, Fig. 2. My invention relates more particularly to that UNITED STATES PATENT CEEICE.

HENRY CHESS, 0F PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN FURNACES FOR HEATING METAL PLATES, CALCINING ORES, ANO FOR OTHER PURPOSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,382, dated July 25, 1871.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY CHEss, of the city of Pittsburg and State of Pennsylvania, have in-v 'vented an Improvement in Finnaces for Heating Metal Plates and Calcinin g of Ores, of which the` following is a clear, full, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation, partially broken in Fig. 2 is a the piles shall be protected from draughts of cold.l air when one of the doors is to be opened 5 andi 4th, in so constructing the lines as to save fuel.v

and utilize as far as possible the heat.

In order to enable others to understandand use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

Nails, longer than two inches, are cut hot, the plates from which they are cut being iirst heated to a cherry-red heat, and being piled up on the top of each other in what is styled a pile, of from iive to seven inches high. These plates are taken to the nail-machine and cut at a black heat. The plates receive from the finishing-rolls a smooth polish, and it is important to keep this smooth surface on the nails. If the plates are heated too hot it scales the surface-and injures the appearance of the nails. The furnaces at present in use scale from one to two per cent. of the iron. To obviate this scaling of the iron is one of the objects of my invention.

, In furnaces as at present constructed the fireplace is at one end, and the chimney at the opposite end. The draught carries apowerful stream of flame over and across a series of piles introduced through side openings into the body of the furnace. To heat the piles furthest from the fire there is great danger of burning or scalding the piles nearest the re. By my improvement this danger is entirely obviated, as the piles are arranged in a circle around a central fire, and each pile subjected to the same degree of heat, being equidistant, or nearly so, from the fire.

It is also true that in furnaces as at present constructed the stream of iiame passes over the several piles, and consequently heats the plates in the piles unevenly, the upper plates frequently becoming scorched before the bottom ones are sufficiently heated. My improvement readily obviates this serious dificulty by passing' the iiame between and not over the piles, as will hereinafter be fully explained.

Another difficulty with furnaces as at present constructed is in removing a pile which has been sufficiently heated without damage to the other piles. When the pile nearest to the fire is to be removed it becomes necessary to open the small door opposite the pile. Immediately a stream of cold air rushes into the furnace and sweeps its whole length across and over all the other piles, cutting off the draught from the fire and chilling the metal. To avoid this difficulty is another object of my invention, and the manner in which it is accomplished will be hereinafter fully explained.

In the old furnaces it can only beV overcome by the use of a larger amount of fuel-say from twenty-eight to thirty-live bushels of bituminous coal per day- While my improved furnace will accomplish the same work with a daily consumption of.

from eight to twelve bushels of bituminous coal.

Its construction in a circular or octagonal form saves much valuable room in a factory. A furnace of this construction is admirably adapted to calcining ores.

In the drawing, A represents my improved furnace, standing on its legs a c, and the sides of the ash-pit. The bottom B of the furnace :may be made of cast-iron plates, or of any other suitable material. I construct my furnace round, where it can be conveniently done, as it is the best form 5 but it may be constructed elliptical or polygonal without departing from thel principle of my invention. The sides of the furnace may be made of cast-iron plates, perforated with as many holes f f f as may be desired, say twenty-four in an ordinary furnace, 'each containing a cast-iron liner projecting a short distance into the furnace. Between each of the liners l place an upright Hue, t, (see Fig. 3,) with the side fronting the center of the furnace cut away at the bottom, as at m, Fig. 3, to make an opening into the furnace, or an outlet for the heat or draught. Fuel is introduced at the Stoke-hole C into the circular fire-place G. The iiame and heat pass over the bridgc-walll), (see Fig. 3,) and to escape have to come-down to on, nearly at the bottom of the furnace, and hence are forced to pass between the pilesf. In addition to this direct action of the flame passing between the piles I utilize the heat given off by the red-hot bridge, and that from the crown or roof of the furnace, which, for the purpose of assisting in heating the metal, is brought down as low as possible at its outer edge. The flame or draught having reached the base of the upright lines at m (see Fig. 3) it passes into and up said fines, and goes into the inclined i'lues a lying on the top of the crown and converging toward the center. The cone-shaped base of the chimney E is made of sheet-iron, and rests upon the inner ends r ofthe converging fines. At the top of the cone is the damper F, of the butterfly or othervdesirable pattern. There is not much heat or flame which reaches this point, as it is absorbed by the firebrick of the furnace, to be againthrown upon the metal to be heated. rlhe straight chimney rising above the damper I make about fifteen inches in diameter, and of sheet-iron, and in this I iind a great saving as compared with furnaces as at present constructed, which require stacks almost equal to boiling-furnaces.

From the description thus far given of the doors and upright iiues in my improved furnace it is evident that when one ofthe doors f ff is opened to remove or put in a pile the cold air does not ltravel over any of the other piles, but makes a converging flues for the purpose of allowing these fines to be cleaned; or they may be opened for the pinpose of cutting off the draught from that particular portion of the furnace. The openings through which the piles are introduced are closed by doors inclined as shown in Fig. l. These doors slide upon brackets which are formed on the liner, and they are stopped at aproper distance by the studs s s s cast upon the main plate. To secure the whole structure the upright plates, which are segmental, are bound by the iron bands b b, as shown in Fig. l, the upper one resisting the outward pressure of the crown, and the lower one resisting the expansion of the bottom.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A furnace for heating metal plates and calcining ores, constructed and arranged substantially as herein described.

2. The central fire-place C and bridge-wall D, in combination with the vertical iiues t and the inclined converging iiues n, .when constructed with reference to a furnace for heating' metal plates and calcining ores, substantially as described.

3. The doors or openings fff of a furnace for heating metal plates, arranged in a circular, elliptical, or polygonal form, in combination with a central fire-place, C, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The openings or doors fff, in combination with the upright fines t, inclined converging fines n, and the centraly fire-place C, constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

HENRY CHESS.

Witnesses:

JAMES D. REED, HARVEY B. CI-rEss. 

